Six SPHS Students Selected to Attend Great Plains RYLA
Six St. Paul students have been selected to attend Great Plains RYLA, hosted by District 5630 and 5610. RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and is a leadership development program of Rotary International. Great Plains RYLA was founded in 1990 and focuses on high school sophomores and juniors and on four key areas: demonstrating Rotary’s respect and concern for youth; providing an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders; encouraging leadership of youth by youth; and publicly recognizing young people who are rendering service to their communities.
Students selected to attend Great Plains RYLA, held July 9–13, 2023 at Marantha Camp in Maxwell, are Kaleb Kaslon, Wyatt Benzel, Jack Thede, Natalie Poss, Audrey Anderson, and Harlee Behring.
Kaslon, who will be a junior in the fall, is the son of Brad and Bridgett Lassen and Mike Kaslon of Elba. He has volunteered with 4-H events, trap shooting events, and helping neighbors. Kaslon also has helped with many robotics setups for the elementary, as well as assisted with concessions.
He is a part of the National Honor Society and A/B Honor Roll, and received science awards in seventh and eighth grades. Some of his activities include robotics, 4-H, FFA, cross country, basketball, and trap shooting.
Benzel, the son of Heather and Fred Benzel of St. Paul, will be a junior in the fall. He has volunteered as a former Boy Scout, and at a haunted maze in October for the past three years. He currently works at The County Cage and at the community pool in the summertime. In the past, he had worked for Raider Detassling for two years.
Benzel has been on the A Honor Roll and A/B Honor Roll since seventh grade and has participated in football, musical, one act, choir, Boy Scouts, and Free Life (a youth group at Grand Island Evangelical Free Church).
Thede, a junior this fall at St. Paul, is the son of Chris and Phil Thede of St. Paul. He has worked doing detassling for the past four years and was a lifeguard for one year at the community pool.
Thede won state range judging in the junior division this year, and he has multiple ribbons throughout his high school career for range judging. He also has been named to the All-A Honor Roll since seventh grade.
Thede’s other activities include, track, cross country, basketball, and FFA; he is also an active member in the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.
Poss, a senior in the fall, is the daughter of Danny and Kristi Poss of Scotia. She has volunteered with several organizations, including the Greeley Service Club for six years, Sacred Heart Church, the PTO, 4-H for six years, and as a volunteer reader and altar server at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for three years.
Poss has worked in childcare since she was twelve, supervising young children of any age; she has also served as a lifeguard at the North Loup swimming pool for the past three summers.
Poss lettered in volleyball her ninth-and tenth-grade years, and she received honorable mention in 2020 and 2021 for all-conference volleyball. She also lettered in basketball, track, and dance in her ninth and tenth grade years.
Poss’s other activities include volleyball, basketball, club volleyball, track and field, FFA, FCA, student leadership, speech, play production, Quiz Bowl, band, dance, and student council. She is also a member of Sacred Heart Church.
Anderson, a junior this fall, is the daughter to Adrian and Tracy Anderson of St. Paul. She has volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, vacation Bible School assistant, summer reading program assistant, youth cheerleading camp instructor, after school program assistant, as well as with the Interact Club, 4-H, local chamber of commerce, United Methodist Church, United Methodist Church Youth Group, and the United Methodist Church Choir.
Anderson works as a lifeguard for the City of St. Paul, an assistant with the summer reading program, and has worked as a veterinary assistant for Anderson Animal Medicine since 2020.
Anderson’s honors and awards include All A Honor Roll from 2019 to present, High Ability Learner designation; Ord Drama Fest, Outstanding Actress; Central Valley Drama Fest, Outstanding Actress; BlueJay Fest, first place one-act play; FCCLA Level 2 Job Interview Skills, first place (nationally); Conference One-Act, Outstanding Actress; District One-Act, eighth place; FCCLA STAR Event, district silver medalist; Serious Prose, fifth place at conference speech meet; Agriscience, second place individually; Agriscience Team, first place; Food Science team, first place; State FCCLA STAR event, silver medalist; Agriscience CDE, blue ribbon; Doniphan Trumbell Speech Meet, sixth place; Arcadia Loup City Conference Speech Meet Math and Science Quiz Bowl, second place; State FCCLA Fashion Show Model.
Her other activities include Interact Club, cross country, varsity dance, competitive cheerleading, varsity cheerleading, FCCLA, FFA, Math and Science Club, Quiz Bowl team, 4-H, speech, oneact, student council, varsity show, musical, range judging, discovery speaking, and ag literacy speaking.